Human remains recovered in Kiowa County on Wednesday have been confirmed to be the bodies of two women reported missing from Emporia, Kan., on Sept. 11, according to the Emporia Police Department.

Following a 10-day investigation into the women’s disappearance, Emporia police confirmed Thursday the bodies discovered in Kiowa County, just south of Eads, to be 44-year-old Linda Estrada and 39-year-old Amy Ford.

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Emporia police began investigating the disappearances on Sept. 11 after a family member reported Linda to be missing.

“EPD discovered Linda and Amy had been together in Colorado the previous weekend,” officials said, adding that Ford was reported missing shortly after the initial investigation began.

The investigation ran in coordination with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office, and Kansas law enforcement.

Through the use of cellphone technology, security videos, and “solid police work,” law enforcement officials were able to track Ford and Estrada’s movements throughout Colorado, leading detectives to focus their search on portions of eastern Colorado and Kansas, according to Emporia police.

Throughout a five-day period, CBI and Kiowa County sheriff’s officers searched portions of the county with the aid of K-9 units, airplanes, drones, and ground searches, CBI officials said.

On Wednesday, Estrada’s and Ford’s remains were discovered.

According to CBI, a person of interest is in custody on charges unrelated to this “specific investigation.”

The name of the individual was not released to the public at this time “due to the nature of the continuing investigation,” according to police. However, Emporia police have confirmed this individual has been cooperative.

The investigation has been turned over to Kiowa County and the CBI. An exact cause and manner of death will be released by the Kiowa County Coroner’s Office at a later date.

A GoFundMe has been established for Ford by one of her coworkers, Marlo Kearin, to assist with funeral costs. 

According to Kearin, Ford was both kind and caring and loved her children. 

“She deserves to be brought back home to where she was from and for her family to have closure,” Kearin wrote to Ford’s GoFundMe page. “Her children deserve to have their mom at peace.”

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